“Boss,” a deep voice said from behind me, and I turned to it, seeing a stern-faced Christian. “There’s been a problem.”
I didn’t hesitate to step away from Ma. It was my excuse to escape, and I took it with both hands. I didn’t say a word to Ma as I moved away from her and toward Christian. “Not here,” I told him, doing up the button on my suit jacket and making my way out of the room.
As soon as we were near the front door, he pointed to it. “Out there.” I stepped outside, noting the two guards at the front doors and the SUV parked at an angle near the water feature. “We caught two soldiers in the warehouse.” I snapped my gaze to him, already feeling my anger building at his words. “Stealing.”
“Stealing what?” I asked, moving toward the SUV.
“The latest shipment of guns.”
“Get them out.” I signaled, halting a few feet from the SUV.
My blood thrummed through my veins, my heartbeat throbbing in my ears. I needed this. I needed to let out some of the frustration I felt at…everything. Nothing had been right since we’d buried Dad, and I wasn’t sure anything ever would be again. But this? This would give me the relief I needed—for now, at least.
The doors swung open, and two figures were hauled outside. I recognized them from the streets, but more than that, from the family. Our own family had tried to steal from us, and on my wedding day of all days. I tutted and pushed my hands into the pockets of my slacks.
“Well…” I paced in front of them, the stones crunching under my shiny dress shoes. “I hear you’ve been stealing.”
“No, please, sir,” one of them begged, holding his hands up in front of him. “It was a mistake. We just—"
“Shut up!” the other one shouted at him.
“No.” The beggar turned to the other one. “It was all your idea!”
“Snitch,” he sneered, trying to get closer to him, but Christian held him back. It was only then I realized that Dante, my brother, was holding the other guy. His face was carefully neutral, not showing a single emotion.
I could hit two birds with one stone. I could get out my anger while also showing Dante what he would have to do now. He wasn’t the favorite child any longer. He wouldn’t be able to walk away from the violence, not when it would be him dishing it out. I’d been a kid the first time I’d watched my father torture a man, and now it was time for Dante to see a snippet of his future.
“Hands,” I said simply, crouching down and retrieving my knife strapped to my leg. I never went anywhere without it.
“No! Please!” The first guy begged again as I unsheathed my blade. “Please, Mr. Beretta, please. I have a family, and a—”
“Shut the fuck up,” Dante snapped. “Hold your hand out.”
I raised my brow at Dante, not having expected that.
“You committed a crime against the family,” I started, twirling the knife in my hand. “And on my wedding day of all days.” I tutted again, shaking my head like I was disappointed when, in reality, I was glad I had something else to do but stand next to Aida and act like we were happy as shit.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
The apology went right over my head. “Hand.” I waited, but when he wasn’t quick enough, I growled, “Your fuckin’ hand. Now.”
The beggar slowly held it out in front of him, and with one quick movement, I slammed the knife onto his wrist, chopping his hand clean off. Blood spurted out onto the stones, a spot landing on my shoe. He squealed in pain, collapsing to the ground as Dante let him go, but I didn’t pay attention to him anymore. I’d only done half of the job, and the vibrations working through me needed me to finish the other half.
“You no longer have the protection of the family,” I said, my voice sounding far away. I was in the zone, a zone I’d created when I was a kid. “This is your warning.” I pointed the bloody knife at the other soldier who stood taller as I halted in front of him. “You don’t get a second warning.” I raised the knife and held eye contact with the man who would soon lose his hand too. “You’ll simply be dead,” I said lightly, acting as if I was talking about the weather. It was a threat I always followed through with, and they both knew this.
Maybe they’d thought they could get away with it today.
They’d been wrong.
I lifted my arm, whooshed it through the air, and slashed right through his wrist. He’d done a good job so far of keeping quiet and showing a brave face, but even this low-level soldier couldn’t keep his screams of pain inside. He went limp, his body collapsing on the ground, his face as pale as a ghost.
“Clean this up,” I told Christian and Dante as I pulled my pocket square out of my top pocket. I dragged the expensive material over the sharp blade, sheathed it in its carrier, then attached it back to my calf.
“You got it, boss,” Christian replied, and with that, I spun around, making my way back toward the front doors of the mansion, but what I saw there had me pausing.
Aida stared at me, her off-white dress looking more like pure white in the dimming light. Her gaze veered behind me as her shaky hand pushed away some hair that had obscured her face. She opened her mouth, a small gasp of air escaping.
She didn’t know what to say, but at least she wasn’t running and screaming.
I stepped toward her, demanding her attention as I got closer. She involuntarily backed up a step, and I smirked at the move. She didn’t know what to think—what to feel.
She blinked several times as I stopped next to her. I grinned down at her, waiting to see if she would do or say something. I wasn’t sure how much she’d seen, but it was clear as day what I’d just done. When she stayed carefully silent, I winked.
“Welcome to the family.”
CHAPTER 5
AIDA
Welcome to the family.
I couldn’t get the four words out of my head. Not after I followed him back inside, and not after we mingled with more guests. A spot of blood stained his hand, and I wasn’t sure whether he wasn’t aware or just didn’t care. It was more likely the latter.
I’d known exactly who Lorenzo was. I’d heard the horror stories. I’d seen the papers and articles written about the Berettas. I’d listened to the gossip that always flowed in the city. But I’d never seen it firsthand. Not like that.
My gaze veered down to his leg as we walked Ma, Dad, Noemi, and Vida to the mansion doors. It had been a couple of hours since I’d witnessed the violence Lorenzo so easily displayed, and I was afraid the aftermath of what he’d done would still be there.
But as the doors opened, the driveway was clear, all of the evidence gone as if it never happened. I thought I’d known what I was getting myself in to, but the more time that ticked by, the more I understood I had no idea.
“Thank you for coming,” Lorenzo said smoothly with his hand on my back again. At first, I hadn’t minded it, but since I’d watched him outside, all I could think about was what that hand had done earlier tonight. Was that normal for him? Had he done worse? I inwardly rolled my eyes at myself. Of course, he had.
“It was a great day,” Ma said, her lips pulled into a smile, but only those who knew her most could see that it was fake. She was trying to put on a facade, but I could spot the worry in her eyes as she looked at me. “You’ll be okay, Aida?” She cleared her throat, probably realizing how her words could have come across to the most powerful man in the state. “I mean, you have everything you need?”